Home » Discussion Forums » Blog Post Discussion » Camera, ii
| Camera, ii [message #37979] |
Sat, 01 January 2011 19:35  |
 b_twin_1
Messages: 2596
Registered: September 2008
Location: Victoria, Australia |
Senior Member
[Moderator] |
|
|
A decision has been reached!
I've got a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel ~ Blackadder
|
|
|
| Re: Camera, ii [message #37980 is a reply to message #37979 ] |
Sat, 01 January 2011 19:46  |
|
Yay for new camera!! Glad you picked one you like, even if it's terribly intimidating. But I have faith in you! Soon you'll be doing more than pointing and shooting, I'm sure of it. (I'm just not sure what. Being a non-camera nerd myself, those are the only things I know how to do with a camera.)
Smooshes!
|
|
| |
| Re: Camera, ii [message #37982 is a reply to message #37979 ] |
Sat, 01 January 2011 22:48 |
EMoon
Messages: 664
Registered: March 2009 |
Senior Member |
|
|
Hurray for the release of tension that comes from having made the decision, and for the good sense to pay for the faster delivery time any time you can afford it. A GOOD start to the new year and we can all expect hellhound and rose pictures, yes? Yes.
I spent a perfectly *beautiful* day indoors chained to the kayboard, but don't let that stop anyone else from celebrating. (Bitter? Because the (borrowing words) frelling ratbag of a book just about to go out the door suddenly informed me it needed three completely new scenes? Because the book must fly away to NYC Monday morning and now I have to cram three new scenes into it instead of picking lazily through for remaining nits? Bitter? Me? YES.)
On the other hand, as I escaped back to my hellhole after fluffing up the soup so there was enough for others to eat--well, one other, the bottomless pit son, who also wanted some fresh cookies for dessert...I said "Here's the baking sheet, the oven is pre-heating, you've done this before..." and he did. Although I still had to be called out to see if they were done. (Guys--if they look wet and have no wrinkles, they're not done. As soon as they don't look wet and have a few wrinkles, they are. Lots of wrinkles and dark edges, they're burning.)
Before the book demanded three more scenes (yesterday) I even got the young man to help chop stuff to go in the soup...he's decided he wants to learn how to make good soup. An essential life skill, in my opinion. Like bread, which still intimidates him (or I do, in full dough-pounding mode.) The "fluffing up" of yesterday's soup today involved removing the last bay leaves, a snatch into the pantry for a can of this and a can of that, and shoving the cans and the can-opener at him and saying "Add those," while I hacked another chunk off the brisket, cubed the chunk, tossed that back in. Then said "Put the lid on, but check every few minutes and if it starts boiling too fast turn it down..." as I scuttled back to durance vile. In more ideal circumstances I'd have added in more celery, carrot, potato and diced some bits of sweet pepper and...but I was in a rush to return to the scene.
E
|
|
| |
| Re: Camera, ii [message #37986 is a reply to message #37979 ] |
Sun, 02 January 2011 01:21 |
 |
Ford of Rivendell
Messages: 20
Registered: May 2010
Location: Family Farm Country |
Junior Member |
|
|
There's been a number of points, questions, and Hellgoddess panic moments about RAW and learning new software. It can be difficult and more intricate if you want it to be or it can be pretty straightforward.
As to my knowledge all modern, decent digital cameras p&s or dslr come with basic software to ease in transferring of images via usb cable rather than removing card and to do basic editing of images.
Consider this RAW can be for doing editing, if you choose. I shoot RAW always nowadays; however I rarely edit photos, but I like to have the option to. My nature shots are as I shot them. I may edit if necessary for custom shots, weddings can be a hipshooter's nightmare for lighting. You don't have to edit your RAW images. You simply use your camera's software to convert them to TIFF. You can convert to JPEG but TIFF is not as compressed and a better lasting image. Bigger but better, even for people less geeky than me. So you do not NEED major upgrades of software and to learn all the junk at the moment, just the basic software and read your manual for setting up the camera settings how you want.
RAW images are like having the negatives and JPEG images are like having a 4x6 print. Sure you have a copy in the JPEG, but later on you don't have the negative to enlarge or do something special with the image down the road. TIFF images are like having a poster-sized print of the image. Just an analogy.
You should read the basics of the camera before using, but essentially most cameras are similar, a little flower for macro, a mountain for landscape, and whatnot, and this essentially means you should be able to charge the battery, put in camera, format memory card, and be ready to shoot. But it is better to read basic setups first. Some battery chargers require that you unplug the charger before removing battery whilst others require you to remove the battery then unplug the charger. And it is a good idea to learn how to format the memory card, set picture quality to RAW, TIFF, or the best quality JPEG (usually Fine or Large or Best), as well as a few other details. That way it is all set the way you want it to be.
Robin- if it is a demo-model and there was one and it has gone out it is quite possible you got it. I don't know how big this site is, but it is a holiday weekend so there may be a delay, especially with demo models and quantity limited items; they often require someone on the other end to verify. Try logging into your account to see if the order is pending.
And Panasonics are very drool-worthy and an excellent stepping stone into the more creative p&S and dipping ones toes into the DLSR world.
I agree, much better to have the features, even the ones you are unsure of, than not. A new camera is kind of like a disease of sorts, if a disease could be a good thing; when you first realize you have it the world seems so different and you are "focused" on it, then you find out the other symptoms that you seem
|
|
|
| Re: Camera, ii [message #37989 is a reply to message #37979 ] |
Sun, 02 January 2011 04:58 |
|
yay for the camera decision!
also, good luck with the new voice teacher.
I saw my first live performance of handbell ringing last night. went to a concert that concluded a conductor's seminar that went on over the weekend and a few friends of mine were part of. they sang a few pieces, mostly american, one of which had handbells as well. apparently, there's an entire troupe (14, though only 4 came and rang with the seminar group) of bellringers in Israel. I had no idea.
it was absolutely beautiful! of course, I did forget to write down the name of the piece... *smacks forhead*.
"they say that absence makes the heart grow fungus".
|
|
| |
| Re: Camera, ii [message #37991 is a reply to message #37979 ] |
Sun, 02 January 2011 10:35 |
 |
Mirkat
Messages: 99
Registered: May 2010
Location: Wherever the Navy takes u... |
Member |
|
|
I haven't chimed in before, but I think any DSLR would be fine. People have their brand loyalties (I'm a Canon fan, others of my friends swear by Nikon), but I don't know of any "bad" DSLRs. The important thing, as you found, is to handle it and see how easy it is to use and if it fits where you want it to fit. I have the model below the SLR line of Canon's (S3IS, which I think is now up to S10IS... I've been dithering about an upgrade for a few years, but I barely know what an F-Stop is and I don't have time to learn with 3 munchkins under 6 around...) I picked my camera because it had a 12x optical zoom, shoots video, and has a super-macro (it can focus on things touching the lens). I'd probably be happy with any camera with those features, it just so happened that Canon made the best one at that time. And, although it can take lenses, most of the time I just carry it around in a 4-5" square bag with card reader and spare batteries that clips on my belt. Not being an SLR, you have to look at an LCD screen which gets washed out in bright sunlight, and it can only take about 1 picture a second. 90% of the time, it's fine.... which is what you'll find with your camera  There's always something "better" you wish you had!
|
|
| | | | | | | |
| Re: Camera, ii [message #38011 is a reply to message #38009 ] |
Sun, 02 January 2011 20:15 |
|
LOL! If only! When I'm famous, I'll make spontaneous trips to the other side of the globe to film sheep. (I won't even tell her. She'll just see the sheep on my blog one day! *snickers*)
Smooshes!
|
|
| | | |
| Re: Camera, ii [message #38018 is a reply to message #37996 ] |
Sun, 02 January 2011 23:03 |
EMoon
Messages: 664
Registered: March 2009 |
Senior Member |
|
|
I still haven't ventured into the airy heavens. I shoot in FINE which gives me really big jpegs and I know that's not as serious, but I'm always running short of storage capacity (though maybe the the terabyte drives I bought last fall, this won't be a problem, ho-ho-ho.) RAW is still in my future, too. I'm a Nikon owner because husband brought Nikons back from Japan and I can still use the old lenses...and when I went to the shop and held both the Nikon and the Canon DSLR, the Nikon fit my hand better. So comfort + old lenses still usable made the sale.
E
|
|
|
| Re: Camera, ii [message #38019 is a reply to message #37979 ] |
Mon, 03 January 2011 00:43 |
 |
cmarschner
Messages: 18
Registered: August 2010
Location: Ithaca, NY |
Junior Member |
|
|
I bought an entry-level Nikon DSLR a bit over a year ago, and had many of the same concerns that Robin had - really, a big camera for *me*? I'm the ultimate dilettante, I'll never use all this stuff! *But* my main interest is in macro of tiny flowers and insects, and the autofocus on the point-and-shoot was driving me up a wall. As it turns out, while I don't take it out quite as much as I might otherwise, if I really want to take pictures I'm willing to lug around the big camera to get *good* pictures. Even in point-and-shoot mode it outperforms the previous camera, and I use the manual focus all the time, fuss with the settings some (still learning), and because the end product is high resolution I can further improve my photos on the computer. I shot in RAW for about six months, and while I loved some of the control it gave me(particularly the easy fixing of white balance), I've shifted back to jpegs unless I have a special event I want really high quality photos for.
In short, Robin, I hope you love your new camera, take it out and play with it, and enjoy the heck out of it. The RAW is really a nice option to have, and if you have particular tasks that require more control than a basic camera provides you will be very happy to have the flexibility of the better camera. Particularly for the zooming hellhounds!
|
|
| | |
| Re: Camera, ii [message #38024 is a reply to message #37979 ] |
Mon, 03 January 2011 04:03 |
CathyR
Messages: 575
Registered: July 2009
Location: NW England |
Senior Member |
|
|
Glad you've finally reached a decision! I started off a few years ago with an entry level Canon 350D DSLR and kit lenses (in anticipation of taking it on a safari holiday 9 months later). By the time of the safari, I'd upgraded to a higher spec (30D, albeit 2nd-hand) camera, and several lenses!! Photography is a lot more expensive than bellringing as an obsession! 
Re the RAW setting: you will probably be able to shoot either in RAW only, JPG only, or both. I use RAW, but you could choose to shoot in both and compare the results. But shooting only in large fine or extra fine JPG will give good results as well.
Adobe Bridge is great for organising and sorting lots of photos. I use Photoshop CS3 (probably about 0.00001% if its capacity) for editing; Elements 8 is, I understand, an excellent package without all that stuff that you probably won't use.
Most importantly, have fun with the new camera! Looking forward to seeing the results.
Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.
|
|
|
| Re: Camera, ii [message #38027 is a reply to message #37979 ] |
Mon, 03 January 2011 08:08 |
 |
Marina
Messages: 245
Registered: January 2009
Location: Near San Jose CA |
Senior Member |
|
|
Marina is my actual name, and Fournier is my family name, not my husband's.
I really do use my legal name all over the place, except in places online where they seem to want fewer letters or something cute.
BTW, Robin, my mother lived in Syracuse until she married my sperm donor (he wasn't very nice to her, wither), but was born in Solvay, which always reminds me of the ballad about Sovay, who tricked her lover WRT a ring she'd given him.
It turns out that it is her accent that I have when I'm not working on something else. I was over 30 before someone told me what my accent was--upper NY state.
After we escaped said sperm donor, from Okinawa in the early 60s, my mom swore she wouldn't endure another lake effect winter and moved us to San Diego. I left for college, never moved back (not even for summers), and then moved to the Bay Area not too long after I married--seasonal change at last, with citrus AND apples and raspberries! Fresh produce in good condition all year! Interesting writers abounding!
If I lived in your county, I'd always be up for a lark up to London, or thereabouts--especially gardens. in my pre-gardening, apartment dwelling days, I once asked a friend why she had so many rose bushes. I may have said "need", for which I owe her an apology, as I probably have just as many rosebushes as she. This friend happens to be a niece or cousin (can't recall after all this time) of Walter Lammerts, the rose breeder. The first bush I was given was his Mirandy, and I am still looking for a Queen Elizabeth standard to plant in memory of a beloved boss.
A. Marina Fournier
❦If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful ❧ William Morris❦
|
|
|
| Re: Camera, ii [message #38033 is a reply to message #38018 ] |
Mon, 03 January 2011 10:12 |
|
Ford of Rivendell
Messages: 20
Registered: May 2010
Location: Family Farm Country |
Junior Member |
|
|
| EMoon wrote on Sun, 02 January 2011 23:03 |
I'm always running short of storage capacity (though maybe the the terabyte drives I bought last fall, this won't be a problem, ho-ho-ho.)
|
 Ha, ha, ha...good luck with that. They've finally come down in cost, since my first computer 10 years ago, for memory and hard drive storage and I still keep managing to fill it all up with something or other. And DVDs for backups, oh brother!
(BTW, Several people have told me to partition those tb hds into like 250-300gb partitions; like putting photos in one or two, music in another. That way it won't take as long to access or scan since it won't have to look through everything. Don't know, I just got a couple of 500Gb that I knew were reliable-ish and to avoid the effort. )
|
|
|
| Re: Camera, ii [message #38034 is a reply to message #37979 ] |
Mon, 03 January 2011 10:46 |
Jeanne Marie
Messages: 320
Registered: October 2008
Location: Kansas City |
Senior Member |
|
|
Hmmm...it's now clearly obvious to me that I am very out of the loop as far as photography is concerned. RAW? Isn't that uncooked something-or-other? FINE? Isn't that just dandy? DSLR, I don't even want to contemplate...
I don't actually own a camera, exactly. I have a very old, very cheap point and shoot 35mm that I haven't used in years, and now I have a phone which takes pics (and, my hubby's phone, which takes considerably BETTER pics). So, this ENTIRE conversation about camera capabilities and unknown euphemisms makes me want to curl up under the covers and whimper...
Still, I DO enjoy other people's photos very much, so whatever gets you nice pics to post is great! I'm glad other people know how to decide this kind of thing!
Smiles,
JM
|
|
| | |
| Re: Camera, ii [message #38070 is a reply to message #38069 ] |
Tue, 04 January 2011 18:44 |
b_twin_1
Messages: 2596
Registered: September 2008
Location: Victoria, Australia |
Senior Member
[Moderator] |
|
|
Oh my.
Lovely!!
I've got a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel ~ Blackadder
|
|
| | |
| |
  |
Goto Forum:
Current Time: Thu May 23 05:52:25 EDT 2013
Total time taken to generate the page: 0.09586 seconds |
Members
Search
Help
Register
Login
Home
